Home
by OTPship
Summary: After hearing the truth from the masked Madara, Sasuke Uchiha is in shock. Instead of joining the Akatsuki when Madara offers, Sasuke lashes out in anger and ends up deciding to destroy the Hidden Leaf...on his own, for his own reasons and revenge. His resulting battle with Madara leaves him battered and bloody. Sasuke escapes to the nearest shelter where he runs into the old Team7
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfic! XD any comments will be highly appreciated. I need all the advice I can get (rubs hands together nervously)**

**Disclaimer: Not my characters.**

**Four years.**

He'd been gone for four years.

Naruto looked down at the framed photo he held in his hands. Moonlight washed over everything in the shabby apartment. Paint peeled off of the walls, white disappearing to reveal the concrete gray underneath. The wooden floor was faded from many years of wear.

Every night before going to sleep, Naruto sat down on the edge of his bed and held the old picture. Team 7's picture. It had been so long since they had last been together, and the pain of the loss never went away. Sometimes when Naruto was around precious friends, the pain was a dull, throbbing ache. When he was alone, it mutated into an ugly, piercing stab that was centered around his heart.

Team 7 had never gotten over the betrayal of their teammate, Sasuke.


	2. Chapter 2

It really bothers me when characters are OOC, so I've tried to keep it as natural as possible throughout the entire fic. Also, don't get frustrated with me! xD I know this is exactly the same as the anime so far, but IT WILL CHANGE! I PROMISE!

Disclaimer: K. Masashi's characters. And his story is borrowed. XD

Itachi fell, forehead hitting the wall beside Sasuke, his bloody fingers dragging a trail of red down Sasuke's face. As if Sasuke was crying tears of blood.

Rain blurred the stark red on Sasuke's face. His wet black hair was plastered to his face. His eyes, they were transparent and empty…

The sound of rain droplets hitting stone seemed to echo...vision blurring, Sasuke dropped, fainting from exhaustion. The two brothers lay under the cursed Uchiha crest, heads facing opposite directions, faces turned towards the sky. The rain washed the blood away, dripping pink puddles onto the concrete.

When Sasuke woke, he was lying down half naked in a bed. His wounds from his battle with Itachi were bandaged, and he appeared to be in a cave similar to one of Orochimaru's hideouts.

A candlelight flickered on a nearby table. As he sat up, someone spoke.

"I treated your wounds," a male voice said.

Sasuke turned his head towards the darkened entrance of the cave. With the rocky spikes hanging from the top, it eerily resembled the mouth of a giant monster.

"You won," the voice continued from the mouth. "But you've sustained quite a bit of damage as well. Try not to force yourself up."

Sasuke looked down. He had no interest. The owner of the voice walked out of the shadows, revealing a masked man. Orange swirl mask, black clothes. He almost perfectly fit with the colors of the cave-orange-yellow light dancing with dark shadows.

"We've met once before," the mystery man told Sasuke. Sasuke remembered the battle with Deidara...the battle with Deidara and a masked sidekick who had a completely different personality than the sinister presence before him now. Sasuke had disregarded him and assumed that he was dead. "The last time, it was as enemies. Don't worry about Deidara's death...I am not your enemy. I brought you here to tell you something."

Sasuke turned away to look down at the sheets. The masked man paused, as if expecting a reaction.

"You're not interested at all, I see...Maybe if I put it another way you'll want to listen? It is about Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes slid to watch the other out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes...you think you know about your brother, but you know nothing."

Sasuke felt angry, but he was numbed from emotion. Instead of replying in a cold voice, he sat there, squinting into the candlelight that was blinding half of his vision.

"Oh, all right. Let's start with introductions." The man's hand rose to grasp the mask. "Like you, I am a survivor of the Uchiha clan..." Sasuke raised his head in dulled interest. The masked man pulled his mask off to the left, revealing some of his face. "...and the one who knows the truth about Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke could see half of a scarred face and a Sharingan.

He felt his left eye itch, and red appeared. Blood seeped out and trickled down his face as the three black tomoe swirled together to form a familiar Mangekyo sharingan...Itachi's.

The one visible eye behind the mask of the man widened in surprise. "It can't be!" he rasped out. In a frantic flurry and a shout, he retreated back into the shadows as black fire began to consume his body.

Sasuke clutched his eye and hunched over, groaning as the pain of using Amaterasu hit him. A yell echoed from the shadows as the masked man met his unfortunate death. Panting and sweating, Sasuke sat back up, still breathing heavily.

"What was that just now?" he wondered. He looked towards the shadows at the mouth of the cave again. The mask lay on the ground. It was silent.

"The Amaterasu, which Itachi implanted inside you."

Sasuke's body stiffened with shock. His eyes wide open, he watched as a disembodied and reached out and grabbed the mask on the ground. The man appeared again, this time putting his mask back on.

"How like Itachi. He surprises you even after he's dead. To think he planned this far."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke was disconcerted and wary. This man was clearly not an ordinary person.

"In order to kill me, he placed a jutsu into you...or should I say...in order to keep me away from you, he probably set his Amaterasu to activate when you look into my Sharingan." The masked man paused. "So this was his fail-safe plan...although it didn't work on me."

"So...what's this all about?" Sasuke was getting annoyed with the man's vagueness.

"Before he died, Itachi must've done something to you?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and teeth clenched as he remembered that moment...when Itachi had smiled and poked his forehead with a blood-covered hand.

"At the end, for your sake, he transferred his own ocular powers to you."

"What are you trying to say?" Sasuke was confused. He was now completely alert and slightly disgusted at the man's arrogance. "Just...what are you trying to say? Why would Itachi do something like that?"

"Don't you get it? ...In order to...protect you."

With just those words, Sasuke felt his whole view of the world shift. All his life, he had been bent on one goal, one reality. And now...

"Protect?" Sasuke repeated dumbly, in a muted voice. "Did you say protect? You're joking!" Face pale, eyes stunned and wide, his voice rose slightly building anger. His teeth clenched.

"If you continue to speak such nonsense...I'll kill you!" Yet Sasuke couldn't bring himself to look the other in the eye, and his voice was forced.

"You're not making this easy, are you? Well, I suppose that's natural though. Suddenly being told such a story by a stranger like me. But...what I tell you is the truth. Itachi mentioned it, did he not? About his accomplice that night." The man paused.

"I am that Madara Uchiha."

Sasuke was still with shock. He was hunched over his blanket, staring down at the wrinkles.

"I know everything about Itachi. I suppose he died without realizing that."

Sasuke's hand fisted the blankets in rage, wrinkling the blankets even more. In a sudden explosion of anger, he shouted, "Shut up! Such things don't matter anymore! Just get out of my sight!"

Surprisingly, 'Madara' did not back down. "No, you will listen. You need to hear this." Madara's voice lowered. "It is your obligation. For the sake of the ninja world...for the sake of the Hidden Leaf Village...and for your sake, your brother risked everything. You will know how Itachi Uchiha lived!"

Sasuke was gripping the sheets so hard that he could feel his nails biting into his palms through the sheets.

"Do you know why?" Madara continued in a softer voice. "Why Itachi implanted Amaterasu into your eye?"

Sasuke bent over, gasping.

"Itachi was determined that you and I would not meet. You will understand why, as well as everything else, once you hear me out.

"Those who knew the truth about Itachi were Danzo of the Hidden Leaf, the Third Hokage and his advisors Hlmura and Koharu. Just those four. The Third Hokage died, and now there are only three aging folk. Still, those three will probably never reveal the abominable truth. The truth about Itachi will fade into the darkness forever...and that is what Itachi wished."

Madara stepped forward. Sasuke was motionless, still in the hunched position.

"However, I know the truth too. As I said before, Itachi died without realizing that. However, he wanted to e double sure. It seems Itachi did not trust me. Just in case I did know the truth, he planned to silence me with Amaterasu. He probably figured that I would show my Sharingan to you in order to talk to you. "

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "What is he saying?" he muttered. He didn't even realize that he was speaking out loud. "What is this guy saying? Protect?" His teeth chattered, and it wasn't from the cold. "Protect me? The truth?"

"Think back," Madara commanded. "Think carefully and remember about Itachi."

Sasuke's eyesight wavered. Everything appeared blurry, and he was shuddering and panting. He looked down at his hands, and they were shaking.

"About your kind older brother."

Flash! Itachi, carrying Sasuke on his back, showing him the police station.

Flash! His kind brother teaching him about many things, smiling as if he enjoyed spending time with Sasuke.

Flash! Itachi poking him on the forehead...yet again.

Sasuke lifted his face from his hands, breathing hard.

"No, he...He tried to kill me! He tried to take my eyes!"

Flash! Itachi in the room where he murdered their parents. Bodies on the floor still warm, still leaking red. "Who would do such a thing?" Little Sasuke screamed, and the scream echoed in Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke coughed into his hand. He kept coughing until Madara strode over.

"Calm down!" He grabbed Sasuke's jaw and turned his face. Sasuke's eyes were slitted, and he was starting to hyperventilate. "Breathe slowly."

Sasuke shoved him away. "Don't touch me!" He shouted, and collapsed onto one elbow.

Images swirled in his head. Smiling Itachi, murdering Itachi. Kind Itachi, killing Itachi. Thoughtful Itachi, ruthless Itachi...

When he awoke, he felt something coarse constricting his arms. He was no longer on tbed mattress on the floor, he was sitting up...and tied up. Madara was leaning against the table with the candle on it, arms crossed.

"You're awake...sorry, but I took the liberty of tying you up. Since you weren't going to stay still and listen to me."

There was a long pause.

"He...Itachi was my enemy. He killed our parents...he kill everyone in the clan. He was a Rogue ninja. A member of the Akatsuki...he was despicable. He was my target."

"It's true that he annihilated the Uchiha clan that night, and deserted the Hidden Leaf."

"Then-"

"And that is what he was ordered to do by the Hidden Leaf."

_What?_

"That is the beginning of the truth about Itachi."

"It was his mission?"

"That's right. That night, Itachi killed his personal feelings and fulfilled his mission." Madara uncrossed his arms and looked at Sasuke. "It seems you've calmed down a bit. In order to talk about Itachi, I must take you back to the early days when Hidden Leaf Village was founded. Itachi sacrificed himself. This is fate that has continued since ages past. He was sacrificed for it."

"Sacrifice?"

"That's correct. A huge problem rooted since the time Hidden Leaf Village was founded. That is what determined Itachi's fate. It's a long story, but everything I tell you is the truth."

"On what basis should I believe you? You're untrustworthy."

"There's nothing I can show you for proof, and it's up to you whether you believe me or not. But you will hear me out until I finish."

...

"Fine. Then talk"

"It all started more that 80 years ago. The world was in turmoil. It was the age of war. Nations battled for power and territory. During this age of war, ninjas consisted of individual clans serving as armed units. They were hired by various nations to participate in the fighting. And among the many ninja clans, two were feared as the strongest-one was us, the Uchiha clan...and the other was known as the Forest's Senju clan. We of the Uchiha possessed exceptional chakra and the Sharingan. Excelling in all types of warfare, we became known as a battle clan. And I was born into the Uchiha clan, possessing chakra that was especially powerful. Perhaps the fact that I've lived this long is proof of that. Back then, all I did was battle...in an age defined by power. I sought to become stronger and killed my friends and even my younger brother."

Sasuke was disgusted. "You..."

"As a result, I came into possession of the perfect Mangekyo Sharingan, and became leader of the Uchiha. I fought the Senju clan countless times. It was inevitable that I face Hashirama, the leader of the Senju clan. 'Wood Style' Hashirama Senju, who would become the first Hokage. The one who stood at the top of the ninja world..land the one I respected the most. The Senju clan, led by Hashirama Senju who became the First Hokage was feared and respected by all the other ninja clans. If the Senju moved, so did the Uchiha. Or clan was probably the only clan able to compete with them. If a nation hired the Senju, the opposing nation would hire the Uchiha. We were like rivals. The more I went up against Hashirama, the more my name became known as well."

Sasuke, leaning against the wall remembered what Itachi had said to him. "To get close to the top...to measure my abilities." So this man was had the same reason as Itachi...for killing. "To heighten your reputation...you took your younger brother's eyes just for that?"

"I did take them. But I needed power in order to protect the Uchiha."

"Protect?" Sasuke was mystified. This man seemed to justify everything bad he did by saying he did it to protect the Uchiha.

"Yes. As the Uchiha clan name spread, it's enemies increased. It was a necessary sacrifice during the fierce fighting with the Senju and the other clans. It was not for my fame. My younger brother was in total agreement, and was the one to offer his eyes to me."

Madara's hand very clenched on his arm very slightly. Sasuke watched and narrowed his eyes. What was he going to say?

"One day the Senju clan offered a truce...and the Uchiha accepted. Everyone, in both clans, had grown weary of the fighting that had dragged on for so long. They had had enough. But I...I was the only one who opposed it. Where has all the hate gone? For what purpose did my young brother sacrifice himself for? The Uchiha and the Senju are like oil and water. I couldn't help but fearing that in time, the Uchiha would come to be oppressed by the Senju. However, everyone in the Uchiha clan wanted a truce. As the leader, I had no choice but to go along with their wishes. Shortly after, the ninja alliance signed a pact with the Land of Fire, which had sought dominion over the territories. The secure one nation, one village system was formed and became the Land of Fire and the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Other countries adopted the one nation, one village system, and subsequently, the fires of war were extinguished. Momentary peace." There was bitterness in Madara's voice.

"But due to a certain incident, the Hidden Leaf Village quickly descended into turmoil."

"A certain incident?"

"A fight...for the First Hokage's seat. As you know, the first to occupy that seat was Hashirama Senju. The Land of Fire and the entire clan chose Hashirama. It was inevitable that the Uchiha's hold on the reigns of power would loosen. I decided that the Uchiha should take leadership...that we should confront Hashirama...but no one, not even from the Uchiha clan, supported me. My subordinates, who did not wish to rekindle the flames of war, we're unsympathetic and betrayed me. I was accused of acting out of greed and self-interest. Not only that, they scorned me as a selfish older brother who stole his younger brother's eyes to save his own. What brother would willfully hurt his own younger brother? I just wanted to protect the Uchiha...

"I left the village. Everyone had betrayed me. I became an avenger and declared war on the Hidden Leaf Village. And I lost...at the place that is now known as the Final Valley. I was said to have died there. Even Hashirama himself believed it. Everyone forgot about me...history forgot about me. Hashirama's younger brother who became the Second Hokage was determined that there would never be another traitor like me again. As proof of his trust, he granted the Uchiha a special position...and he created the Hidden Leaf Police force. But the truth was...that was to further distance the Uchiha from the reins of government. Furthermore, it was a way to keep a closer eye on the entire clan. There were Uchiha members who realized this...members who wanted to carry on my rebellion. But it was too late. Time passed, and the Senju solidified their hold on the reins of power while the Uchiha fell to become Senju dogs. And what I predicted came to pass.

"A certain other incident sealed the Uchiha's figurative demise. Yes...the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon 16 years ago."

"What do you mean?"

"The Nine-Tails can only be controlled and tamed by the ocular powers of the Uchiha. The higher-ups of the Hidden Leaf Village perceived the Uchiha to be behind this attack. That was a natural occurrence...a natural calamity. The Uchiha had nothing to do with it! Yet suspicion fell on them...that the Uchiha had revolted and sought to take power. As a result, the Uchiha was put under the strict surveillance of the Anbu Black Ops and were forced to relocate to the outskirts of the village. They became totally estranged. The Third Hokage was the only one to voice opposition to our treatment. But Danzo if the Black Ops and the rest of the councilers would not listen. In the end, the Uchiha clan was not trusted, and the discrimination began...Their distrust brew hatred, and gradually, their suspicions became reality. The Uchiha clan plotted a coup d'etat to take over the village. The higher-ups in the Hidden Leaf Village planted a spy within the Uchiha clan. That spy was your old brother...Itachi Uchiha. From that moment, Itachi's suffering began."

"A coup d'état by the Uchiha? Itachi was a spy?"

"Despite being an Uchiha, you were kept in the dark...because you were still young. But it's all true. Your father, Fugaku, was the mastermind behind this plot. Your brother, Itachi, was ordered by your father to spy on the Anbu Black Ops."

_Sasuke's father, Fugaku was standing in the old house that the young Sasuke had lived in. His mother stood at his side. _

_"Itachi. You also serve as the Uchiha clan's pipeline to the village's nerve center. You know that, don't you?"_

_Itachi's downcast face was as expressionless as usual, but sitting there on the floor, he somehow looked as if he were under some kind of unbearable pressure._

"However, it was just the opposite. Itachi was working for the village, feeding them information about the Uchiha. He was what they call 'a double agent'. You can't even begin to imagine what a heavy burden that is to bear."

"Why? Why did Itachi betray the Uchiha?"

"It may be hard for you to understand, not having witnessed the horrors of war. The Third Great Ninja War...When Itachi was merely four years old, he witnessed the deaths of many people. He was too young to experience war. War is hell...the trauma of it turned Itachi into a pacifist who hated war. He was a man who put the village's safety first, and who strove to protect peace. Instead of being bound by obligations to his clan, he was a ninja who loved his village. And the higher-ups preyed on that trait. They assigned him to a top secret mission...an eye for an eye. For them to oppose the Uchiha, they needEd the Sharingan. Yes...the mission was the total annihilation of the Uchiha clan.

"I can't imagine what he went through emotionally. Itachi was forced to make a terrible choice. The impossible choice that involved killing one's brethen. But a civil war started by the likes of the Uchiha would shake the very foundations of Hidden Leaf Vilage and the Land of Fire. Other nations would seize the opportunity to attack. It could even trigger a Fourth Great Ninja War. The Uchiha's self-interest would involve innocent people who had nothing to do with the ninja world and countless people would die again."

Madara glanced over at Sasuke. The poor boy was near tears. His entire life had been flipped over and shaken, its contents messed up and put back in backwards. Madara couldn't blame him. He continued on.

"If you were Itachi, what would you have done? So Itachi made up his mind. He himself would bring the curtain down upon his clan. He did not hate the Uchiha, nor did he betray them. It was inevitable. The discrimination by the village, and the object of their antagonism...he shouldered the blame all by himself. No one can ever question Itachi's choice and the sacrifice he made. To be truthful, back then even I anticipated war. I was bitter towards the Senju's Hidden Leaf as well as the Uchiha. But Itachi was well-awthat of that. He alone was aware of my existence. Itachi sought to contact me and made certain conditions. In exchange for guiding my vendetta against the Uchiha, I was not to lay a hand on the village. He would help me kill my brethen, but the Third Hokage tried a different hand. He tried to approach the Uchiha for a compromise. But time ran out, and his efforts failed. Leading up to that night...it was a mission. To be the sole perpetrator of his clan's slaughter and become a Rogue Ninja with his reputation in tatters. All of that was his mission. And Itachi completely fulfilled his duty...with one exception. He could not bring himself to kill his younger brother.

"After that, Itachi appealed to the Third Hokage to protect you from Danzo and the higher-ups. Then he threatened Danzo and left the village. If he laid a hand on Sasuke, he would leak every detail about the village to uncalled nations. Above all else, he was concerned about you...and yet he couldn't tell you the full truth. He had no choice but to say the things he did. By making revenge your goal, he hoped to make you strong. The Uchiha clan is a proud clan of the Hidden Leaf. He wanted you to keep believing that. He beseeched the Hokage that you would never learn the truth, and from the moment he left the village, he was resolved to fighting you, and dying. So that he could instil in you a new power. That is Itachi's truth."

Sasuke had been visibly shaking, but now he stopped. "No," he said, very quietly. "You're lying! They must be lies...It's nonsense..." He turned to Madara with sudden fury. "He almost killed me several times!"

The man remained passive. "If Itachi wished it, he would have. Without a doubt."

"He even used the Mangekyo Sharingan to try to kill me! That's the reason why..."

"Your battle was part of his plan. Itachi needed to pressure you in that fight. The reason for that...Well, you've probably realized it too. Haven't you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in realization. That moment...Itachi had been in his Susano'o. _"Finally, it comes out..."_ was what he had said. _Orochimaru_.

"He freed you of the curse mark. And the battle with the someone closest to you...it was a battle to awaken your Mangekyo Sharingan. It was a battle that Itachi planned entirely for your sake. He pretended to be after your eyes until the very end." Madara saw Sasuke's expression. "It's starting to sink in, I see."

"You are lying. The one who made the Nine-Tails attack the village was you, Madara! Itachi said so! You framed the Uchiha! And you teamed up with Itachi to toy with the clan!"

"Itachi was lying when he said that." Madara was still as calm and arrogant as ever. The sight of him just standing there infuriated Sasuke. "He feared that you would somehow learn the truth. He wanted to make absolutely certain there was no chance of that. He lied to make sure you would not trust me...not only that, he implanted Amaterasu in your eyes."

"As if I'd believe you! He...Itachi was evil! He's a criminal who killed his clan and joined the Akatsuki!"

"Itachi took sole responsibility for an unspeakable crime and left the village. Then he found a way to join Akatsuki and watched over an organization that was dangerous to the village from the inside. He was always thinking about Hidden Leaf Village. And he thought of you...When the Third Hokage, who had promised to protect you, died, Itachi made an appearance in the Hidden Leaf Village. It was to tell Danzo and the other superiors that "I am alive". You were foremost in his thoughts-"

"STOP! Lies! They're all lies!" -heartbreak.

"You're still alive, aren't you?"

It hit Sasuke hard. Reality. What was it really? He remembered telling Itachi...

_"My eyes are not the same as they were in the past. They can see through genjutsu..."_

_"Hmph. You still speak with such confidence...but for now, I'll take your word for it."_

"Your eyes did not perceive a single thing about Itachi. You were not able to see through the illusion Itachi created at all. Itachi killed his friends, his superiors, his lover, his father and mother. But he could not kill...his little brother. He cried tears of blood and killed every shred of feeling inside him. Then he killed his brethren for the sake of the village. But he just couldn't kill you. Do you understand what this means?"

There was a long silence.

"To him, your life...was more precious that the village. Up to the moment of his death...no. Even in death, it was all for you. To pass on a new power, by making you defeat him, he had avenged the Uchiha clan. In order to raise and make you the hero of the Hidden Leaf. His body was ravaged by illness and he knew he was near death. Even if he had to rely on drugs to prolong his life...for the sake of his beloved little brother...he had to fight you, and die in your presence.

"For the peace of Hidden Leaf Village, and most of all, for Sasuke Uchiha, he wanted to die a criminal and a traitor. He accepted disgrace in the place of honor, and hate in the place of love. And despite that, Itachi died with a smile on his face. He entrusted the Uchiha name to you, his younger brother, deceiving you to the very end."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! Sorry for the wait. I have no motivation ^^**

**Luckily, it's November, so I'm using this story as my Nanowrimo material huerhuerhuer ...hopefully, that will inspire me to update more often?**

**Review, comment, subscribe to my channel! :D**

**Disclaimer: Um...does not belong to me. Characters are Kishimoto's.**

"Dammit."

Sasuke was no where to be found. Where was that bastard?

Naruto's wet hair dripped into his eyes. The rain still hammered on the upturned stones at the scene of the battle.

"We've done what we could," said Kakashi. The words Naruto had been dreading. "Let's go back to the Hidden Leaf."

Everyone looked at Naruto. He was staring at the ground-looking, but not seeing. Sakura saw his jaw clench. Tears battled with anger and frustration...

Dammit!

"It turns out that what you told me was true."

Sasuke sat atop a huge skeleton of some kind of prehistoric monster. He looked down at Madara, who sat at the foot of the skeleton. Madara watched Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. It was all going according to plan.

"Except..."

Madara narrowed his eyes. He turned his head to look at Sasuke directly. Sasuke stood.

"Did you think I would believe what you said?" His voice was dark. "The nine-tailed beast attack sixteen years ago was no accident. The fact that you wanted to get revenge on both the Uchiha and the Senju-and the nine-tails' attack killed off the Uchiha and damaged the village. It's too much of a coincidence."

Sasuke appeared behind Madara in a blur. Chidori crackled along the length of his snake sword as the blade flashed in an arc towards Madara's head.

The sword cut through his neck and met no resistance. Sasuke swung the sword through. "My goal to avenge Itachi and the rest of the Uchiha now includes you as a target...why don't we settle this now?" His voice was as cold as ever.

Madara still sat on the ground. "I guess it didn't work," he said. Then he stood and turned around to face Sasuke. "It's too bad. The Akatsuki are low on manpower...we could have used your help. I'm warning you though...you won't be able to defeat me the way you are right now. If you go against me, I won't show mercy."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and disappeared into a blur as he sped forward．

It was a near escape.

He had thrown himself at Madara with the pure intent to kill - in turn, he had been battered within an inch of his life. It wasn't mercy. Sasuke was sure that if Madara had actually wanted to kill him, he would have done so. Why had Madara let him go? A whim? Maybe Madara still thought that Sasuke would change his mind and join the Akatsuki. Whatever the reason, Sasuke resented it. He hated the feeling of being allowed to live.

Sasuke dragged himself towards his goal - a tree. Where had all the hours of physical and mental endurance training gone? Why was it so difficult just to keep walking? He slumped against the rough brown bark, breathing in ragged gulps of air. When his lungs felt like they weren't bursting anymore, he pulled himself up again and kept going. He would not faint. Towards another tree. Then another. And then another.

Where was he going? He had no idea. Just away.

A brown structure was beginning to emerge from the green. A log cabin, Sasuke's superior vision told him. Sasuke staggered towards it. It was unwise, he knew. He was a wanted ninja - yet he need to rest. He would risk it.

He stopped right before he reached the edge of the clearing. Traps - enemies? Just as he thought it, a swarm of kunai flew towards the spot that he stood in. Susano'o sprang into being around him and the kunai sparked against it -

Naruto heard the traps go off. Crap! He knew he shouldn't have gone along with the traps. There were civilians around! Stupid Kakashi!

He was frantic as he rushed out the door to the trap area. His heart pounded in his throat as he ran. I've killed somebody! Oh no!

His footsteps slowed to a stop. His eyes searched for a body. There! He was going to pound Kakashi when they got back -

Wait a second. Why was there no blood? Most of the kunai had fallen between the target and the shooter, as if they had been countered, instead of overshooting. None of the kunai had hit. Naruto leaped away from the body. It pained him to admit it, but Kakashi had been right.

He hovered a few meters away from the body, which he now eyed suspiciously. Eyes squinting, he scanned the "dead" person. Weapons? A sword. He looked around. Any enemies lying in wait? Above, sides, under - no. He waited for a while longer before cautiously approaching.

The face was turned away. Spiky blue-black framed pale skin. Naruto reached out a hand to see who it was. He turned the face towards him.

Just before he saw, his head burst into a clamor of voices. Stopstopstopstop -

Spiky blue-black hair and pale, smooth skin. Closed eyes with long lashes that, when opened, Naruto knew would be a bottomless black. A straight nose, high, sharp cheekbones. Pale lips.

Sasuke? How? Why? He had searched so long for him, and only just endured the bitter taste of failure under the pouring rain, where Sasuke fought Itachi. He had thought that Sasuke was out of his grasp. Yet here he was, practically on his doorstep, half dead.

It's hard to describe the emotions that fought inside him as he lifted his old rival from the soft forest ground. All he knew was that he had to save him, for Sakura, for Kakashi, for the village, for Itachi, for their rivalry, for the last battle that they had not yet fought, or for their friendship.

For Sasuke himself.

For Naruto himself.

Sasuke's eyes opened. For a moment, nausea overwhelmed him. Then he forced it down and sat up. Eyes scanned the room. Plain wooden log walls and no furniture. The only thing in the room was the sleeping bag, and he was sitting on room was as simple as it could get. Except…

Everything, from the sloped ceiling to the balcony outside, seemed familiar. It was…

Yamato's Wood Style.

It couldn't be…

He walked out the entrance and stepped softly down the stairs.

He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it was empty. The sole decoration in the entire place was a misshapen rock that sat in the very center of the room. A familiar misshapen rock.

The Leaf symbol was engraved on it.

Sasuke took this as his cue to leave. Or he tried to.

There was an invisible force blocking the door. And all the windows.

Somehow, it was impenetrable by sword, fire, lightning, and all kinds of various jutsu. There was no choice. He had to wait.

He chose to wait upstairs where he had woken up. Soon after, he heard footsteps below. Sasuke stood and made his way out of the room, and peered around a corner to where a figure was walking in.

Blond rays of hair caught his vision. A tantalizing glimpse, before the figure turned and shifted under the stairs. Sasuke moved as stealthily as a cat to the opposite side of the house on the second floor, because the figure was now climbing up the stairs.

That familiar light hair again. This time, accompanied with the Uzumaki swirl on the back of a mostly black, and orange, jacket.

Sasuke followed the figure. The figure disappeared into the room that Sasuke had just left. Footsteps stopped.

"Sasuke?" A rough, scratchy sort of voice echoed. "I know you're here. You can't leave."

The figure appeared again and turned around.

Too late. Sasuke was caught in the gaze of light blue eyes. The light blue eyes that perfectly completed the picture…

There was an awkward silence.

"Don't hate me. I had to bring you here." He came closer. Sasuke found himself engulfed in Naruto's embrace. Sasuke stood there for a while, shocked. He felt something wet touch his shoulder. A warm drop of something. Then more drops. Naruto was crying? His arms started to lift of their own accord and hug Naruto back…

"I promised Sakura."

Sasuke's arms fell back to his side. How could he have ever thought…

He pushed Naruto away. Naruto rocked back, catching himself. He hurriedly swiped the tears from his cheeks.

"So where are they?" Sasuke asked coldly. All he wanted to do now was leave. Leave and never come back.

"They went back to the village...to report back. They were pretty sure Tsunade wouldn't let they stay here, so most of them went. I'm supposed to hold down the fort. I would have went, but they said you might still be around…"

Sasuke turned away. "Fight me," he said. Repeating those fateful words from so long ago. "If I win, you will let me out of here."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke swung around, the sword somehow appearing in his hands. Naruto had about half of a millisecond to block it with a kunai in his hand.

"Why won't you come back? You had your revenge - it's time to come home! Come to your senses - Sasuke!"

Sasuke was ice again - cold and unmoving. His reply was the flaming purple skeleton that appeared around him.

Naruto dodged another swipe again. The towering skeleton threatened to break through the roof. In another second, it did. Wood splinters rained down around them.

"Stop it, Sasuke!"

Instead, Naruto saw his Sharingan swirl into his eyes. Amaterasu!

Naruto leaped from his spot, and it burst into flames. He ran towards Sasuke and smashed his fist pointlessly into the purple bones. "Listen to me!"

He formed the seals for Shadow Clones, and a copy appeared to swirl chakra into a Rasengan. He smashed it into the bones. It didn't even make a dent. Frustrated, he formed seals for the clones again, this time for a barrage of bigger Rasengans. It managed to break a hairline crack in the skeleton, but just as Naruto was about to smash another barrage into it, it faded, revealing that Sasuke had collapsed again. Naruto paused, surprised. Then he dissipated the clones and carried Sasuke to the room, again. He had forgotten to ask what happened to him, besides the fight with Itachi.

He looked down at Sasuke's face. Those clean-carven lines. The face that so many girls had fallen for, including Sakura. Sakura, who Naruto had made his promise to.

Naruto shut the door quietly, and went outside to train.


End file.
